Hasta La Gadget!

When he first showed off the original iPad, Steve Jobs talked up the “fourth screen.” But is four really enough? We mean, really? Could the fifth screen really have been on our wrists all along? Sure, we’ve seen plenty fall flat with smartwatches, including big names like Microsoft and Sony Ericsson, but that hasn’t stopped companies from trying. The Meta Watch certainly isn’t Fossil’s first connected wristwatch — nor is it the first watch SDK — but it does have a lot going for it, including a thumbs up from HP. The two models are built on Texas Instruments’ CC2560 Bluetooth platform, which allow them to receive push notifications from smartphones and tablets, so you can read e-mail, tweets, or Facebook updates — assuming the right developers get onboard. And since none of the apps actually live on the watches, they get solid battery life — seven full days on a charge, according to the company. You can pre-order the watches now, or wait until they officially go on sale in July for $200 a pop — make sure to set a reminder on your nano. Press release after the break.

Continue reading Fossil Meta Watch shows you where you can put your fifth screen

Fossil Meta Watch shows you where you can put your fifth screen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Humans, they just love mixing the old with the new. To wit, the iCade gaming cabinet for the iPad, an April Fools’ joke that was just a fun idea this time last year, has gone and turned very real, replete with FCC certification and now a pre-order page. The Bluetooth-communicating iPad enclosure seems to have originally been on sale for immediate delivery, but ThinkGeek has burned through its first shipment of units faster than you can say “Atari’s Greatest Hits.” The second batch of $100 iCades is expected by May 20th at the very latest, although orders are being taken only from the US for now. The rest of the world needn’t despair, however — we hear building one of your own is a pleasurable and rewarding experience.

iCade arcade cabinet for iPad starts selling at $100, already on backorder originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 05:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been quite awhile since we last saw a GIS unit from Magellan, but the company is once again dipping its toes in the cold, clear waters of GPS data collection. Running Windows Mobile 6.5 (so it’ll play nice with existing GIS data collection programs) and powered by dual AA disposables, the eXplorist Pro 10 has a three-inch 240 x 400 color transreflective display — so on-screen site surveying is as easy in direct sunlight as it is in the dark of night. The device fears neither raincloud nor Super Soaker and comes with a 533 Mhz CPU, 128MB of RAM, 4GB of onboard memory, and room for more bits and bytes via microSD. A 3.2 megapixel camera, three-axis compass, pressure altimeter, and a barometer round out the geographic measurement gear, and a Bluetooth radio is included for connecting peripherals should the existing array of tools be insufficient for your mapmaking needs. On sale now for $699.99, the Pro 10 is aimed squarely at the pro crowd (shocking, we know), but Google’s pretty much made casual cartography unnecessary, anyway. Press release is after the break.

Continue reading Magellan’s eXplorist Pro 10 does GIS data collection for $700, makes Google maps green with envy

Magellan’s eXplorist Pro 10 does GIS data collection for $700, makes Google maps green with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When this rather smashing little piece of gadgetry made its way through the FCC last week, we didn’t have a whole lot of details to share about the “world’s first carbon fiber Bluetooth headset.” Well, Bluetrek’s making the Carbon official today with a $70 price tag and a full set of specs. The thing weighs in at a mere .25 ounces, touts Bluetooth v3.0 support, and allows for four and a half hours of talk time or five days on standby. It also comes with a set of four earbuds in different sizes, so anyone can rock the lightweight headset no matter how big, or small, the ear hole. The Carbon is now on sale at the source link below. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Bluetrek releases lightweight Carbon: world’s first carbon fiber Bluetooth headset

Bluetrek releases lightweight Carbon: world’s first carbon fiber Bluetooth headset originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The $350 ContourGPS sits among the top-tier of consumer-friendly helmet cams, but it’s always posed one major problem: you can’t really tell where it’s pointing. Sure, it shoots a pair of wicked lasers out of the front, but it’s always a challenge to gauge the extents of its 135 degree lens. We knew there was a secret trick in there waiting to be unleashed, which we got to play with at CES, and now here it is. Contour has released its Connect View functionality for iOS, letting you view live footage from the camera right on your phone. Keep reading for our full impressions.

Continue reading ContourGPS Connect View app hands-on

ContourGPS Connect View app hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 16:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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